Cost of Building a House in Kenya (Updated 2020)

In this article, we will look at the cost of building a house in Kenya in 2020. Renting a home in Kenya is getting quite expensive.

As more and more real estate companies mushroom in Kenya, most people are looking into building a home rather than buying.

This paradigm shift is happening very fast such that the information regarding an estimate of the cost of building a house looks like.

So What is the Cost of Building a House in Kenya?

It is worth to note that the cost of building a three-bedroom house and five-bedroom house will vary obviously.

However, it is possible to get a rough estimate of what costs one would incur when they set on a journey to build a house.

Location of your Land

Do you already have a piece of land that you would want to develop? Or are you looking into purchasing a piece of land and then develop it?

These two questions are a good start to start with when estimating the cost. If you already have a bit of land, ensure that you have a no-contest title deed.

It is therefore essential to make sure that before you start any construction plans on a piece of land, please carry out a title deed search first.

If you have to purchase the piece of land first, then the cost will be a little bit higher.

The location of your land will also determine the cost of your resources. If it is far from a big town, then the resources will be a little bit expensive to transport to the place.

The square footage

Since you have already identified a preferred location and a piece of land already, examine a newly constructed house in that location.

To get the cost per square footage on the house, get the total price of the house and then less the cost of land. After getting this, divide the amount by size of a home.

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For instance, the value of a newly constructed house maybe 90 million while built on a 500 Square Metres piece of land that costs 30Million.

Then the cost per square footage of constructing a new house will be:

= Ksh. 90M – Ksh. 30M = 60M

=Ksh. 60M/500 = Ksh. 120,000

Note: The kind of building you use its costs to estimate should be similar to the design you want to build to make the estimate as accurate as possible.

House Features

House features such as doors, windows, number of utility areas, among others. Will one use vaulted ceilings or high pitched roofs?. Building a house with fewer windows and low pitched roofs will significantly reduce the cost of building the house.

The design factors like shape and size of the building, complexity of the design, circulation space of the building, the height and the structural design of the building will have a bearing on the final cost.

It is also worthwhile to note that the quality and quantity of materials as per specifications has a direct impact on the overall cost of the house.

Most persons wishing to build are surprised at how different one item like the type of finishes can have a high impact on their construction budget.

Every building material has a substitute which could be cheaper or more expensive but plays the same function.

The quality of finishes

If you select high-quality finishes for your house, the cost of building your home will be quite high. When compared to selecting average finishes for your home.

For instance, the costs estimated per meter estimated above maybe for building a high-end home in Nairobi.

Size of the house

A bigger house will cost more because the square footage to be covered is more significant. The rooms to be built may also be more when compared to a smaller home.

It is, therefore, essential to check the amount of cash you are willing to invest and the projected cost. If you are tight on budget, you may have to start with a smaller house first.

Political Factors

There are Political factors in terms of how stable a neighbourhood is or the safety index of an area.

One can readily tell that a high-end zoned community where the development is controlled could be cheaper in terms of security measures to be incorporated in the cost plan but relatively expensive since one has less free-play in the design variables.

In conclusion

To get an accurate cost of building a house in Kenya, it is essential to reach out for the services of a qualified quantity surveyor. The Institute of quantity surveyors of Kenya to get a comprehensive list of all qualified quantity surveyors.

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Mary is one of the leading writers on Urban Kenyans. She is knowledgable on matters Kenya and has been able to educate many Kenyans on this platform.

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